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Iran has prohibited the entry of Afghan nationals and their settlements in 16 provinces of Iran, according to Khaama Press, citing Iranian media.
The Director-General of Foreign Nationals and Immigrants Affairs in the Iran's Kermanshah Province, Hamza Suleimani, reported that undocumented immigrants in these provinces will be detained and deported. Following this, the governor of Kermanshah announced that since March 2023, eight phases of a plan to identify, detain and deport undocumented immigrants have been implemented in Kermanshah Province. According to the report, entry, presence, and settlement in the Iran's provinces of East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Zanjan, Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Ilam, Lorestan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Gilan, Mazandaran, Sistan and Baluchestan, Hormozgan, and Hamedan have been declared prohibited. Moreover, as per the report published on Saturday, a considerable number of Afghan workers employed by Iranian employers have been detained. This came as 2000 Afghan migrants forcibly and voluntarily returned to Afghanistan on Friday. Notably, the expulsion of Afghan migrants and refugees from Pakistan and Iran has surged in the past weeks, according to Khaama Press. Earlier this week, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Wahidi said the country will deport Afghan immigrants who lack permits, TOLO News reported. As per Iranian media reports, Wahidi said that there are currently 5 million Afghan refugees living in Iran. Some refugee rights activists expressed concerns regarding the situation of Afghan immigrants in Iran. Immigrants' rights activist Mohammad Khan Talibi said: "The Afghan immigrants in Iran are facing challenges due to not having legal living permits." (ANI)
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